1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a door lock system for releasably latching and selectively locking a door, typically a door of a motor vehicle such as a passenger car, van, truck, motor coach, recreational vehicle or the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel and improved, door lock system that includes a rotary latch having an elongate housing with an end formation that is "inclined" or "tapered" so as to be wedgingly engaged, when "latched," by a correspondingly inclined or tapered wedge block component of an L-shaped striker assembly. As the rotary latch releasably engages the striker to effect "latching," the inclined or tapered end region of the latch housing cooperatively engages the wedge block of the striker to guide the latch into properly aligned engagement with the striker, and to maintain proper alignment of the rotary latch with the striker while "latched."
2. Prior Art
In prior practice, it is customary to provide a side door of a vehicle such as an automobile, van, truck or the like with a door-carried lock system that is operable, when the door is closed adjacent a door frame that defines a passenger access opening, to "latch" the door as by bringing rotatable components of a rotary latch into surrounding and restraining, but selectively releasable engagement with a door-frame-carried striker.
It is customary, also, to provide a side door of a vehicle with interior and exterior handle assemblies which may be operated to "unlatch" the rotary latch and to thereby permit door movement out of its closed position.
Still further, it is customary to provide a key cylinder in association with the exterior handle assembly, with the key cylinder being operable selectively to "lock" and "unlock" components of the door lock mechanism as by selectively preventing and permitting the exterior door handle assembly from unlatching the door.
Typically, the door lock mechanism of a vehicle side door also can be "locked" and "unlocked" by vertically shifting what is referred to as a "sill button." The sill button usually takes the form of an elongate, interiorly accessible, vertically movable button that has a lower end region which is connected to a control rod that is housed within the structure of a door, and an upper end region that projects through a sill opening that is defined by the door structure at a location near the bottom level of a window opening that is defined by the door structure. Depressing the sill button to its lowermost or "locked" position causes the control rod to set components of the door lock mechanism to a "locked" configuration that will prevent at least the exterior handle assembly from unlatching the door. Raising the button to its uppermost or "unlocked" position causes the control rod to effect unlocking of components of the door lock system components so that operation of the exterior handle assembly will function to unlatch the door.
Moreover, it is known to provide a door lock system of a side door of a vehicle with apparatus for assuring that, when components of the door lock system are locked, the interior handle assembly (in addition to the exterior handle assembly) will be prevented from unlatching the door. This feature of fully disabling the interior handle when a sill button has been depressed (i.e., when the door lock system has been "locked") is particularly desirable for use with vehicles that transport children, the intended purpose being to prevent unwanted opening of a vehicle door as the result of a child's tampering with or operating the interior handle assembly. In the industry, such apparatus as may be provided to disable an interior door handle when a door lock system is "locked" often is referred to by the term "childproofing mechanism."
While vehicle door lock systems of a variety of configurations have been proposed, with many including so-called "childproofing mechanisms," prior proposals (i.e., proposals that predate the inventions that are addressed by the utility applications that are included among the Parent Cases that are identified above) typically suffer from one or more drawbacks. One problem has been a lack of versatility of system components that severely limits not only the type, style, shape and/or structural configuration of doors with which a particular locking system proposal can be used, but also limits the relative arrangements of interior and exterior handle assemblies, key cylinder and sill button hardware with which a particular locking system proposal can be used. Moreover, the systems of prior proposals typically require custom made operating handle assemblies and/or other custom components, it being recognized that custom components often are relatively expensive to manufacture.
To the degree that some of said prior proposals for door lock systems are adaptable for use with commercially available components such as operating handle assemblies, key cylinder and sill button hardware, the complexity of the resulting door lock systems, and attendant difficulties of assembly and adjustment for proper operation that are encountered in installing the resulting systems often have proven to be undesirable and, in some cases, economically infeasible.
Accordingly, despite the existence of a plurality of said proposals for door lock systems, a need has remained for an improved, highly versatile door lock system including a well proven basic type of rotary latch, and an associated connection linkage assembly, with these components being so arranged and interconnected that they are capable of working in harmony with a wide range of commercially available interior and exterior operating handle assemblies, as well as with commercially available key cylinder and sill button hardware.
3. The Referenced "Parent Cases"
The inventions of the several Parent Cases address the foregoing and other drawbacks of the prior art by providing a novel and improved vehicle door lock systems that each includes a rotary latch and a connection linkage assembly that is sufficiently versatile to permit its use with a wide variety of commercially available interior and exterior operating handle assemblies, as well as with commercially available key cylinder and sill button control hardware, with the connecting linkage including a capability for providing desired safety features, for example, a "childproof" feature that permits an interior operating handle to be selectively enabled and disabled for unlatching the rotary latch so that children cannot open a "locked" door by tampering with or operating the interior handle.
A feature of the preferred practice of each of the invention of the referenced utility Parent Cases resides in its utilization of a well proven basic type of rotary latch--a rotary latch that has proven its acceptability in commercial use. Another feature lies in use that is made of commercially available forms of door lock system hardware including interior and exterior operating handle assemblies, as well as key cylinder and sill button components. Stated in another way, the preferred practice of each of the inventions of the referenced utility Parent Cases has the very significant advantage of not proposing a door lock system that is novel and unique throughout the range of elements that make up the system--rather, the invention, in its preferred practice, draws without reservation on strengths of proven designs and commercially available components which, with minimal cost, provide a highly reliable door lock system.
Another feature of the preferred practice of each of the inventions of the referenced utility Parent Cases resides in providing as a "hub" or "centerpiece" of a door lock system, a novel rotary latch and connection linkage assembly of extremely versatile character that gives the system its capability to draw upon strengths, desired characteristics, and unique features of a host of commercially available door lock operating and control hardware such as commercially available interior and exterior operating handles to effect latching and locking of a vehicle door or other closure.
4. The Referenced "Plural Point Locking System Cases"
In one aspect, the invention of the Plural Point Door Locking System Cases that is referenced above (namely the invention that forms the subject matter of application Ser. No. 303,972 filed Jan. 30, 1989 from which a patent is expected to issue shortly) provides a simple and inexpensive means for converting a single point rotary latch type door lock system to a plural point rotary latch type door lock system. The system can be utilized to convert a single point rotary latch system to a plural point rotary latch system regardless of whether the single latch system includes a "childproofing" mechanism; and, if the single latch system includes a childproofing feature, the childproof operational characteristics of the single latch system are "extended" so as to be applicable to the rotary latches of the resulting plural latch system.
In the most preferred practice of the invention of the Plural Point Locking System Cases, a vehicle door lock system includes interior and exterior handle assemblies that are accessible, respectively, from interior and exterior sides of a vehicle door on which the door lock system is mounted. The system includes a plurality of rotary latches that are configured to releasably engage a plurality of door-frame-mounted strikers to "latch" and "unlatch" the door, and a latch interconnection linkage for effecting concurrent unlatching of the rotary latches. The door is "locked" and "unlocked" by selectively enabling and disabling driving connections between at least one of the handle assemblies and separate release arms that are arranged to operate a selected one of the rotary latches.
In the most preferred practice of the invention of the Plural Point Locking System Cases, locking and unlocking of the vehicle door are effected either by operating an exterior key cylinder, or by operating an interior sill button. The handle assemblies, the key cylinder and the sill button preferably are commercially available units that are arranged as may be appropriate for use with a particular vehicle door, with these units being interconnected for operation by a novel and highly versatile linkage, with elements of the linkage being operable to interact so that, 1) when the door is "latched" but not "locked," either of the handle assemblies may be operated to unlatch the door, 2) when the door is both "latched" and "locked," at least one of the handle assemblies is disabled from being operated to unlatch the door, and, 3) such locking and unlocking movements as are executed by the key cylinder will cause corresponding movements of the sill button between its locked and unlocked positions. 5. The Referenced "Double-Wedge Parent Case"
The invention of the Double-Wedge Parent Case that is referenced above (namely Ser. No. 109,479 filed Oct. 16, 1987 and issued Jan. 30, 1990 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,906 entitled VEHICLE DOOR LOCK SYSTEM) provides interactive latch housing and striker assembly components that effect a wedge-like interengagement to properly align the latch housing and the striker assembly during "latching," and that engage and cooperate, while "latched," to releasably maintain proper alignment whereby undesired relative movement of the latch housing and the striker assembly (and undesired relative movement of such door and door frame structures as mount the latch and striker) is prevented.
In preferred practice, a door lock system is provided that includes a rotary latch having an elongate housing with a pair of opposed end regions that are inclined or tapered so as to be securely received, when "latched," within an elongate U-shaped striker assembly that has a pair of spaced, inwardly facing wedge blocks at its opposed end regions. As the rotary latch releasably engages the striker to effect "latching," the tapered end regions of the latch housing are wedgingly engaged by the wedge blocks of the striker to guide the latch into properly aligned engagement with the striker, and to maintain proper alignment of the rotary latch with the striker while "latched." By this arrangement, a strong, racking-resistant type of latched connection is provided that will assist in preventing undesired relative movements of a door and a door frame on which the latch and striker are mounted, respectively. In preferred practice, handle assemblies are connected to the rotary latch to operate the latch to effect "unlatching" of the latch and the striker. "Locking" and "unlocking" of the latch is effected by selectively enabling and disabling driving connections between the handle assemblies and the rotary latch.
6. The Referenced "Companion Design Parent Cases"
The referenced Companion Design Parent Cases deal with the attractive, ornamental appearance of latch housing and striker assembly components of a type that preferably are employed in carrying out the best mode known to the inventors for practicing the present invention. Accordingly, in the drawings and in the detailed description that form a part of the present application, components that employ features which are illustrated in the referenced Companion Design Parent Cases are shown and described. It will be understood, however, that the invention of the present application can be practiced without utilizing the attractive appearance features that form the subjects of the referenced Companion Design Parent Cases.